All of the delicious flavors of lasagna rolled up in little bundles of zucchini. This recipe is another great way to use of that zucchini you have from your garden; it's also in season right now which makes it twice as delicious! This version of this dish is a little different from some of the other recipes out there, instead of rolling up a single strip of zucchini and standing it up on its end; I put two pieces together so that they are slightly overlapping and then put my filling inside. This method helps keep your filling from oozing out while it bakes and also makes the rolls a little bit bigger.
Give this lighter version of lasagna a try, I promise you will love it!!
Zucchini Lasagna Roll-Ups
Yield: 4 Servings
Ingredients:
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
14 oz crushed tomatoes
1 tsp. dried Italian herb blend
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
2 large zucchinis
1 c. ricotta cheese (or substitute small curd cottage cheese)
½ c. pesto (I use my homemade basil, pistachio and avocado pesto)
½ c. shredded parmesan
4 oz. shredded mozzarella
Fresh basil, for garnish
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a 12 inch cast iron pan, or deep sided oven safe skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add in the onion and bell pepper, sauté until onion is translucent. Reduce heat to low and add tomatoes, dried herbs, red pepper flakes and season with salt and pepper. Allow the sauce to simmer for about 10 minutes on low heat.
3. Using a mandolin or vegetable peeler, peel the zucchini into thin strips and lay them onto a paper towel. Sprinkle with salt to allow the zucchini to release their moisture. You should have about 25-30 strips.
4. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, pesto and parmesan together.
5. When you are ready to assemble, lightly dab the top of the zucchini strips with a paper towel to soak up any excess moisture. Also make sure and turn off the heat on the tomato sauce.
6. Take two of the zucchini strips and lay them side by side lengthwise, making sure they slightly overlap. Spoon about 1 tbsp. of the cheese mixture onto the center of zucchini strips. Roll up the zucchini and place each one, seam-side down into the pan with the tomato sauce. Gently press them down as the sauce comes slightly up the sides of the roll. Repeat this process with remaining zucchini. Once they are all in the pan, make sure they are about two-thirds of the way covered with sauce by adjusting them with a spoon. Sprinkle mozzarella on top of the rolls of zucchini.
7. Place the pan in the oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving; garnish with fresh basil.
Notes:
- If you don’t have an oven safe or cast-iron pan, simply transfer the sauce to a glass baking dish before adding in the zucchini rolls and then follow the rest of the steps from there.
- If you don’t have ricotta on hand, you can also use a small curd cottage cheese.
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